Broken Shackles (07 Ghost)
by Keera Tasuma
Summary: Had the story ended a different way... During their final battle with Veloren, Teito died, fulfilling his third wish. "I want to give everything to protect those dear to me." At this time, the Eye of Mikhail vanished. Teito is reincarnated into the world he once knew, with no memory of his previous life. The Seven Ghosts and the Barsburg Empire are searching desperately...
1. Chapter 1: The Second Meeting

I – The Second Meeting

_I want to die._ Held roughly by yet another Trader, his "assets" praised and exaggerated to be exchanged for gold, Teito truly believed that death would be better. He had never been purchased, so why would they continue with this? Why not just kill him? A weak sigh escaped him. _Ah, I want to die._

"He is, of course, virginal. Note his finely shaped limbs, and these features," obediently Teito opened his bright green eyes, hearing the appreciative murmur from the crowd and wincing at the harsh gaslights in the underground room. "Truly a splendid item. The bidding will begin at 500."

_It won't work,_ Teito thought to himself, closing his eyes again as he heard the whispers begin to circulate. _No-one wants a battle-sklave as a bed-warmer._ He could almost feel the iron against the skin of his lower back, burning the mark into him for a second time. He would have rather stayed in the arena.

"1,000." His eyes reopened in surprise. The silver-haired man smiled coldly, his violet eyes fixed on Teito. "1,000." he repeated. Even under the lethargy of the drugs, Teito felt a chilling fear run through him.

_I would rather have stayed in the arena._

"Frau!" Castor pushed his spectacles up on his nose and glared at his long-time friend. "Why are you sneaking out of the church _again?"_ The spiky-haired blond grinned sheepishly.

"Well you see, doll-freak, it's like this…" his explanation was impeded by the puppet fastening its fingers around his neck. Castor loomed with a dark aura.

"You were going to search for "him" again, weren't you?" Frau stopped struggling with the puppet and glanced down at the floor, eyes tracing the long-ago message that no-one could remove.

_Forgive me, Teito. _

_I love you. _

**_Live!_**

Castor followed Frau's gaze, and his eyes softened. "Frau, he might not come back. You know better than anyone." The blue-eyed bishop bit his lip.

"I know. But…" he glared determinedly up at his white-robed friend. "I can't stop looking! What's the good of being immortal if we can't do something like this? If Teito reincarnates, then –!" Castor shook his head and sighed, allowing his doll to release the most stubborn of all the Seven Ghosts.

"Do what you like." Frau nodded and ran off down the hall, his black coat flapping behind him like Zehel's robes. Castor watched him worriedly. He knew how much it had hurt Frau to have been unable to save the boy, but he truly believed that if such a pure soul had entered the world again, they would have felt it. He also knew, however, that such reasoning would be lost on Frau. The blond bishop's desperate search was his only comfort; the possibility of the child being born again as Mikage had once been was the only hope that tied the man to life.

"Perhaps I should talk to Labrador," the red-haired priest murmured discontentedly.

_If he touches me,_ Teito decided, _I'll kill him._ If he was honest with himself, the young sklave wasn't quite sure that he would be able to kill this man. Once his mind had cleared from the drug-induced fog draped around it, he had realized that the man was dressed in military uniform, most unfit for an underground auction. Teito watched his new owner warily, half-crouching on the bed of the lavish room in case the man tried anything strange. The officer, his badges marked him as such, turned from hanging his coat and cap and glanced at the boy's position.

"No need for that," he commented expressionlessly. "I won't be using you as a "bed-warmer," as I believe it's called." Slowly, Teito rose from his crouch. He didn't trust this man. Something about his emotionless eyes and cold stare made him want to run as far as he could in the other direction. But right now that was impossible.

"Why," his voice emerged as a croak, he swallowed and tried again. "Why bother buying me then?" The man chuckled, it was a horrible sound, devoid of any true joy, and only dry amusement was in his tones as he spoke again.

"You intrigued me. It's not often a battle-sklave ends up in an auction." Teito's eyes narrowed into slits of green. He could sense the lie in the man's words, a skill he had always possessed, and one that had saved his life many times on the front lines. This man was certainly interested in him, but for some other reason than mere curiosity. Even so, his claim to not desire Teito's body was truth. The boy allowed himself to relax slightly, sitting on the edge of the bed, though his eyes still watched his buyer's movements carefully. The man seemed content to sit himself in the chair opposite and ask, "Your name?"

Teito didn't answer, his gaze still slitted as he took it the man's sharp features, comparing them to the dim impressions from the auction house. His eyes, the boy decided, were undoubtedly the most unnerving thing about him. There was no light or warmth in those violet orbs. Were it not for the way they reflected the light, those eyes could be mistaken for the eyes of one who was already dead, a sight Teito was all too familiar with. He didn't like the comparison.


	2. Chapter 2: Faces Known

II – Faces

Ayanami watched the boy sleep. It was truly amazing, how perfectly the child's features matched his previous form, identical even down to the mannerisms. The man lightly touched the boy's right hand, not out of gentleness, merely affirming the presence of what he sought. Only fourteen years, yet it seemed like centuries. It was strange, how Mikhail's host had no memory of his previous life, even after fully awakening during their final battle.

A smirk played across his lips. What an unsatisfying battle that had been. If it hadn't been for those blasted bishops, the Seven Ghosts, Verloren would have prevailed. The smirk twisted into a frown. It was rather painful, being cut in half with his own scythe.

_This is a dream._ The gently falling snow was somehow very sad, filling Teito with a sense of nostalgia. Faces, names that he did not know whispered in his mind and drifted before his eyes like leaves falling in autumn, strange yet somehow familiar. _Why am I see these things?_ He wondered, and as if in answer, a series of images flashed by like a high-speed projection.

A tall, stately building, a church, surrounded with smiling people.

A boy with bright eyes and messy yellow hair, a cross-shaped scar on his cheek.

Another boy with long, golden hair and a mocking smile, holding a small pink creature with a similar scar on its head.

Immense, skeletal figures. _Scythes. Fear. Pain. Death._ And then…

A very, very gentle light. _"You're late, shorty."_

Frau walked through the town at a brisk pace, barely noticing the people he passed. His eyes scanned the world around him, seeing the color of each soul. It gave him the feeling of walking through a field of glowing flowers, but it wasn't what he wanted to see. Teito's soul had no color, it was a warm and colorless light, tinted with sadness, unbearably pure. Frau would recognized the brat's soul as soon as he came across it; even if he wasn't reincarnated as a human, that beautiful soul would not change.

_I will find him._ No matter how long he had to wait, Frau would find Teito again. Until he did so, he would never be able to forgive himself for being the cause of the child's death.

"Bishop Frau." The priest turned irritably towards the purple-eyed man addressing him. Hakuren Oak smiled at his favorite mentor. "Again?" Frau _harrumphed_.

"Does everyone know what I'm up to?" he muttered. Hakuren scratched Mikage's chin, the little creature purring happily on his shoulder.

"Mostly," he admitted, the bishop's badge on his white coat flashing in the sunlight as he moved. "It's your fault for being so predictable." Frau frowned.

"You sound like the doll-freak."

"Oh?" Hakuren teased his finger away from Mikage's playful biting. "That might not be so bad." Another grunt from Frau.

"What happened to being _my_ fan?" and Hakuren laughed.

Frau sighed. He knew how foolish he must seem to all of them. But he still couldn't bring himself to stop looking. Teito was special, a light that never dimmed, no matter how much sorrow and pain he endured. Even with a different face or form, Frau would find him, and, even if the child didn't remember the final battle, Frau would kneel and beg for forgiveness from his soul.


	3. Chapter 3: Memory

III – Memory

Teito woke slowly, the unfamiliar comfort of a proper bed coaxing him to remain in the arms of sleep. As his eyes fluttered toward waking, he felt a touch on his face and reacted instinctively, flipping himself up and to the opposite side of the bed, landing with balanced ease hands on guard.

Ayanami watched him with a raised eyebrow. "My, my." The small sklave blinked in surprise but did not lower his stance. Something about his new owner in that moment was terribly frightening.

_If he were a beast, he would have to be a wolf,_ Teito decided, looking again to those almost-dead eyes. _A ravenous wolf._ His heart thumped wildly in his chest, almost painfully as his brow furrowed. _And what does that make me?_

"Hungry?" Ayanami interrupted the boy's thoughts with an insincere smile. He gestured to the steaming porridge by the bed. "You are, I'm sure." Teito watched him out of the corner of his eye as he eased sideways toward the food.

"What do you want?" his voice was stronger now than it had been, and his eyes glinted with emerald fire, a strong and piercing gaze that brought a true smile to the soldier's lips, tinted with malice though it was.

"Eat." Teito eyed the simple bowl distrustfully, his fingers toying with the edge of his unfamiliar grey tunic. Ayanami chuckled, startling him. "It's not poisoned." The concept seemed to amuse him a great deal as he picked up his hat and saber, causing Teito to flinch. "I'll return shortly, so you can eat in peace." He seemed to be repressing laughter, giving his voice a coarse edge. He swept out the door, which _beeped_ and announced the existence of it's lock with a _click._

Left alone, Teito dipped his finger in the porridge, ignoring the spoon on the placemat beside it, and placed it in his mouth. _"… it's warm."_

_Drip, drip._

_What? Is it good enough to make you cry?_

"It's just…_ warm."_

Mikage lifted his tiny head and chirped, causing Hakuren to pause on his way through the church. "What now? Frau already left, you know." The little creature blew a tiny puff of flame and fluttered his downy wings, chirping insistently. The bishop sighed and rubbed the cross-shaped scar on Mikage's head with his finger. "I wish I could understand you like Teito did." Upon hearing Teito's name, Mikage put up a great fuss, butting his head against Hakuren's neck and waving his tail. Hakuren put up a hand to steady him before he fell. "I know," he said. "The anniversary is tomorrow, isn't it?" Mikage calmed slightly, crouching on Hakuren's shoulder with his tail _swishing_ back and forth. The golden-haired bishop paused at the church steps and looked off into the distance with a queer expression. "I wonder if everyone will come."

"They will." Castor smiled down at him.

"Castor," Hakuren greeted him with a smile of his own as the tall man continued,

"No-one has forgotten Teito. They will all be here for the memorial."

"What about Frau?" Castor's smile became slightly sad.

"I don't know. He's come later and later each year. This time, he may not come at all."

"He fears to admit that Teito has not returned." Labrador arrived with a gentle smile for his fellow bishops. "Greetings, Hakuren."

He inclines his head respectfully. "Labrador." It had taken longer for him to stop calling Labrador "Bishop" than it had with any of the others. The far-seeing Seven Ghost was perhaps the most unnerving of them all, with his ability to read people's hearts and futures as Hakuren read his books. But now he was a trusted friend, as the rest of them were.

Castor nodded. "This will be the fifteenth year. A milestone, perhaps."

"Perhaps." Labrador seemed unwilling to confirm his friend's hopes. The awkward silence following his words was broken by Castor's sigh as his adjusted his glasses.

"Well, we'll know tomorrow."

_"Teito, today you're going to meet some very special people." The man smiled down at the child clinging to his hand, his necklace jingling as they walked. "I hope that you will come to love them." The bells began to ring as the gates swung open with the sound of a promise. _

**_You have to survive. You are this kingdom's final hope…_**

**_Forget, Teito!_**

Teito stirred and murmured in his sleep. _"Fa-ther."_


	4. Chapter 4: Between Us

IV – Between Us

Frau walked among the colorful souls of the world, stubbornly holding on to hope. It had already become dark, but something urged him to remain searching, rather than returning with the sun, as he had so many times before. The anniversary of the final battle, of Teito's death, hovered just a breath away. _Fifteen years._ It should be long enough, the doll-freak had insisted, to come to terms with what the others had already accepted. But he never had, not when Castor said the same thing at ten years, and five, and two. They had _all_ waited for the one year, waiting for the feel of a pure and gentle soul returning to the world, as they were sure it would. After the second year though, they stopped waiting. Only Hakuren had waited through the first five years, patiently walking beside Frau as his search became more desperate. But finally, he too let the grieving bishop be.

_He isn't gone. He isn't gone._ The need for that mantra was as dangerous as any drug, a slender thread of sanity holding together the pieces shattered on that day. He could imagine what Castor would say when he returned. He would peer over his glasses with a disapproving look and say, _you should take this Communion off. _He wouldn't say anything more than that, he never did, but he was most adept at speaking with his eyes. Frau knew his friends worried for him, and his hand touched the silver rose that Labrador had given him, pinned to the front of his dark jacket.

_Teito-kun would be happy to see you with it._ He had smiled, and Frau could not refuse him. Yes, they all worried for him, but none of them helped him. He clenched his fists in their black gloves, grinding his teeth so ferociously that he nicked his lip. The taste of blood was the same as tears on the edge of a knife; a bitter taste, salty and metallic.

_There. _It was so brief, no more than a flicker, but it was there. It startled him so that he cut his lip again, but he ignored the blood dripping towards his chin as he spun around, trying to find the light again. _Teito!? _He would never mistake that light, even if centuries passed. It was such a warm glow, and he had felt it nearby, soft and muted, as if with sleep or pain, but it was _there._ He wanted to scream, call for him, but the part of his mind with some rationality knew that he wouldn't be recognized. Instead he began to run down the street, his shadow dancing in the light of the streetlamps and the cold night air encouraging white clouds of heavy breath.

_Where is it? Where? Where are you, __**Teito?!**_

_… me. _

_… calling… me. _

_Why..? Who… is it?_

**_"Teito!"_**

_I… know you. _

_But… I can't…_

**_Forget, Teito!_**

_No… I don't want…_

**_Forget!_**

_…I… don't want to… _

**_"TEITO!"_**

_I don't want to… forget..._

_Frau._

It was gone. Frau stumbled to a stop, his head whipping back and forth as he searched. "Why? **Why?!" **He slammed his fist into the nearest building with such force that the entire side of his hand immediately began to bruise under the glove. _He was there. I _know_ he was there. So why…? Teito._ A grim chuckle escaped him. _Maybe… I'm finally going mad. _The chuckle became a raw and breathless laugh as he slammed the wall again, splitting the damaged skin. "That's it, isn't it? At last I'm…" tears dripped down his cheeks as the laugh ended in a ragged sob. He slumped against the wall as blood began to seep through his glove. _He isn't…_

_Drip. Drip._ Like out-of-season blossoms, drops of red fell to the ground and bloomed brightly against the snow. _He… isn't…_

And the thread began to fray.


	5. Chapter 5: A Circle Never Ends

V – A Circle Never Ends

Labrador walked among the flowers, white robes _swishing_ around him. Castor paused on his way through the outdoor halls to watch the lavender-haired priest smile at the blooming vines of the pavilion. It was such a tranquil scene, it took several moments for Castor to realize that Labrador's violet eyes were filling with tears. "Labrador-?" The bishop hurried to his friend's side. "What happened?"

A breeze rustled through the garden, causing the flowers to shake their heads upon delicate stems. Labrador blinked slowly. _"Teito…" _his eyes lifted to the clear skies. _"Spring is here, for all of us."_

"Labrador!" Castor was used to his far-seeing friend's strange statements, but the mention of Teito's name set his usual patience aside. "What about Teito?"

_"… Teito is – "_

_Tap, tap._

"Bishop Frau?" The sisters hovered worriedly outside the shut door.

"-weeks now."

"What could have happened?"

"He hasn't even attended mass."

"Oh, Mr. Castor!"

The dark-eyed bishop smiled at the sisters. "Please, don't worry. I will take care of everything here." After the nuns dispersed, Castor knocked on the door. _Tap, tap._ "I'm coming in, like it or not." And he did.

Frau lay on the bed he rarely used, arms folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "What do you want, doll-freak?" There was no bite in the familiar insult, and Castor frowned.

"Have you been sulking in here this whole time?" he pushed his glasses up on his nose, light glinting off the frames. "Pathetic."

"Shut-it, ya damned four-eyes." Frau turned over to face the wall. Castor sighed, pulling out a chair from the table to sit.

"Teito is alive."

Three words, three knives. Knives that dug deep into a trembling heart to excavate emotions almost lost. The golden-haired bishop sat up slowly, turning with wide eyes to meet his friend's gaze. "Teito is - ?"

"Ah, now I get a reaction. Labrador predicted it." Castor turned his head to the window, eyes searching the sky as Labrador had. "Teito will return. Here, to Barsburg Church."

_Scratch. _Teito made another mark on the wall behind his pillow. _Three weeks._ Three weeks since he was bought by the strange man, whose name, he had found, was Ayanami. During that time, he had continuously been left to his own devices, with only a brief, tense exchange once or twice a day, during which Ayanami would stare at him with those half-dead eyes.

Teito spent most of his time sparring with memories, or sleeping, trying to make sense of the confusing, and sometimes frightening dreams that hadn't stopped since the first night. He had names now, _Mikage. Mikhail. Hakuren, _but didn't know what they meant, or who they were. He couldn't even match them to the faces in his dreams.

But something that day was different. He had yet to see Ayanami, even though it was almost time for the noon meal. Teito found himself pacing nervously, completely alert for any change in his surroundings.

**_Fly, fly! Flee from here!_**_ His breath was labored as he maneuvered the hawkzile, strained from blocking such a powerful zaiphon so suddenly. _

**_"We'll always be friends, right."_**

**_"You bet."_**

Teito froze tensely as the door clicked open. The one to come through was not Ayanami, but a tall man with dark hair, tinted glasses perched upon a slightly pointed nose. "Aya" sent me for you," he smiled.


	6. Chapter 6: Search and Ye Shall Find

**This chapter is short, and it is also the last chapter in the first arc. Enjoy.**

VI – Search and Ye Shall Find

Teito walked nervously behind the solder, eyes darting back and forth as they made their way through the halls. The dark-haired man had not spoken again, but his movements conveyed his intentions. _Where are we going? _Teito wondered, beginning to feel a disturbing sense of familiarity with the situation. He glanced down to check that his hands were not shackled. _What am I thinking? That was just a weird dream._

Or was it?

They passed by an open archway, where several hawkziles sat at rest. **_Fly! Flee from here!_** Teito hesitated. **_Fly! _**He ran. Later, he would wonder why the soldier did not try to stop him, only standing there with a queer expression on his face as he watch Teito over the frames of his dark glasses. As the hawkzile rose into the air, Teito felt his heart accelerate, beating slightly off rhythm.

_Ba-ba-dum, ba-ba-dum._

Like the beat of an army drum, it urged him on. He looked back only once as he turned away from the building. There, a floor above him, was Ayanami. The officer flicked a zaiphon almost lazily at the escapee, which Teito blocked instinctively.

As the boy flew off into the sky, Hyuuga came up behind his superior with a whistle. "Here we go again, eh? Aya." Ayanami turned away from the railing.

"We will see."

It had been so long since they all flew together. Frau went higher than the others, relishing in his newfound peace. _Teito will return. Here, to Barsburg Church. To us._

"I thought you had gotten over high places," Labrador called up to him. "You'll be hit by falling rocks and become even stupider."

"Shut up," the blue-eyed bishop shouted back.

"Don't ruin his good mood," Castor sighed.

_Crash. _

They looked up in unison as the cliff began to _rumble_. "Frau, you idiot - !" Castor began, but he did not finish. For even as his companions watched, Frau's eyes widened, and he held out his arms.

"Frau!" They ran towards him as the dust settled.

_"It's raining midgets." _Frau's hand hovered over the soft brown hair, hesitating. The others didn't answer, afraid to disturb this moment for their friend. The golden-haired priest held the child to him, bending his head so they couldn't see his tears.

_He's not gone. He's finally…_

_"You're late, shorty. So very, very late."_

**_He slept. And in his sleep, he remembered why he was here. "To protect… that person." He stirred. "Master."_**

**_"It is time to awaken, Mikhail."_**

**PART I - END**


End file.
